The world's oldest known version of the 10 Commandments - written on a slab of marble - has sold at auction for an astonishing £680,000.

Described as a National Treasure of Israel, the ancient artefact has 20 lines of letters in Samaritan script, derived jointly from Hebrew and Aramaic, chiseled into its surface.

It is believed to have come from the entrance of a synagogue destroyed by the Romans between A.D. 400 and 600, or by the Crusaders in the 11th century, according to Heritage Auctions Director of Ancient Coins & Antiquities David Michaels.

Put up for auction by Heritage Auctions, from Beverly Hills, California, on Wednesday, it opened with a $300,000 (£240,000) bid, but a bidding war pushed the price up to $850,000 (£680,000).

Described as a "National Treasure" of Israel, the ancient artifact has 20 lines of letters in Samaritan script (Image: Reuters)

It is believed to have come from the entrance of a synagogue destroyed by the Romans (Image: Reuters)

The winning bidder who eventually landed the two-foot-square slab of white marble, which weighs almost 115 pounds, has chosen to remain anonymous.

The Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) approved the export of the piece to the United States in 2005.

However it insisted on a condition of the export being that it be displayed in a public museum - a condition that still remains in effect.

"The sale of this tablet does not mean it will be hidden away from the public," Michaels said. "The new owner is under obligation to display the tablet for the benefit of the public."

Put up for auction by Heritage Auctions, from Beverly Hills, California, on Wednesday, it opened with a $300,000 (£240,000) bid (Image: Reuters)

A bidding war pushed the price up to $850,000 (£680,000) (Image: Reuters)

The Israeli Antiquities Authority (IAA) approved the export of the piece to the United States in 2005 (Image: Reuters)

The tablet lists nine of the 10 commonly known Biblical Commandments from the Book of Exodus, omitting "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" (King James translation).

It adds one commonly employed by the Samaritan sect exhorting worshippers to "raise up a temple" on Mount Gerizim, the holy mountain of the Samaritans, located near the West Bank city of Nablus.

The tablet was the centerpiece of an offering of Biblical historic artifacts, all thoroughly researched and authenticated, and owned by the Living Torah Museum in Brooklyn, New York.